Beautiful
by Nipheliem
Summary: Mr. McMahon and his Wife Liz both think it's a good idea for John Cena to leave wrestling for a couple of months and live like a nobody in a small town. This is his story on finding himself and remembering what it's like to have nothing at all.
1. Chapter 1

**Beautiful**

**N/A** Like any other author on here I do not own or have any connection or contact with WWE. This is a pure fan fictional story and there are no real facts in this story. I only own the small fictional town, Temani and my made up characters. If a reader feels strongly about something that may be incorrect with anything regarding to the WWE please let me know. I am trying my best here to make this realistic for readers to enjoy! Please read and leave a review.

**Prologue:**

The sky was a deep dark blue, decorated by thousands of tiny white gems. The moon wasn't out tonight, giving the sky a chance to show its real self to the on lookers from below. It had an incredible raw power which gave you goose bumps, making you think about what more could be out there.

John had been waiting in his truck for more than two hours since the sun had made its last appearance before diving underneath the horizon. With each passing moment his heart felt like it was being ripped out.

He remembered the last time he was out in this field. It was fall, just becoming winter. He stood there, starring down at the cold ground and as the wind got colder, his world got darker and his thoughts got deeper. He had hoped that when he left this place, everything would stay with it.

But it didn't.

He looked just in time to see her coming down the driveway. Her dark silhouette glided past the shadows of the trees then into the field.

She was alone.

He prayed that she wouldn't see the truck and wouldn't turn around and go back inside. He needed to surprise her - to keep her in that field.

He watched for a minute to make sure she was staying. Then he opened the door slowly and closed it just enough to keep the bugs out. If he slammed it she'd hear him and she would probably run back to the house.

His heart hammered in his chest as he slowly walked to where she stood. He felt so nervous he wanted to puke and all the thoughts in his head became so jumbled, he didn't know how to tell her he was there.

**Chapter 1: **

He honestly thought he was going to go mad before his six months were up. There was absolutely nothing to do in this small town in the middle of The Great White North. What was worse was the house that his boss had arranged for him to live in.

To him, it wasn't even a house. There was only one bathroom, one bedroom and a living room joined with a kitchen, and a laundry room slash mud room - if you want to be precise. Old wallpaper was peeling off the walls and he was pretty sure that no one had lived in here for years due to the lack of maintenance around the yard and inside.

This was definitely hell.

John just sat in an old leather chair, leaning back and squinting at a small TV. He was glad that he had cable but he wasn't impressed with the size of the image which he was viewing. He wasn't even sure how old this TV was. Do they even make them that small anymore?

While he watched his sports, he darted back and forth between concentrating on the games and on what the hell he did to deserve by being kicked away from both of his homes. They said he was losing his grip of his natural roots and that by being the main attraction of the company, it was sending a lot of the WWE superstars farther down the scale. He didn't see how it was his fault for being popular. And he definitely didn't understand how he was losing his "natural" roots. It wasn't as if he was thrown into stardom after a night's sleep and woke up with a million dollars in his hand and went stupid with it.

No.

He worked hard. Very hard to where he got to. But now it seemed like not only his boss kicked him to the curb, but so did his wife. She thought they needed a break so that John could sort things out and remember what it was like to be a "nobody." How the hell was that supposed to strengthen their relationship?

John shut off the TV and rubbed his face with both hands. He was tired and frustrated with why and what the hell he was doing in a small town. He wasn't supposed to be here. He didn't belong here.

He gazed over at the small brass clock on the kitchen wall and it read only one o'clock in the afternoon. With a heavy sigh he got off the old leather chair and decided to get dressed. After all, now that he wasn't on the road, his main choice of fashion was just an old pair of gym shorts. What was the point in getting dressed when you weren't even going anywhere?

But today he figured he better go grab some groceries. He was hungrier than a bear coming out of hibernation plus his beer stock was getting pretty low. He chuckled at the thought – if only his old man could see him now! He felt like a bum except his habit of shaving every day kept him looking not like a bum.

After he dressed himself in a black baggy t-shirt and blue jean shorts, John grabbed the keys off the kitchen counter and left the house, slamming the old door behind him. He was wondering how many times he would have to slam the door for it to fall off its hinges. He made a bet to himself; maybe a little over twenty will do the trick. But then he realized that he'd have to be the one to fix it.

Vince McMahon sure had no taste in vehicles. Considering he had to live low in the society scale, he couldn't have any flashy muscle cars or big jacked up trucks. He had to have a good old 2000 dark blue Cherokee jeep. Why couldn't he have gotten a truck?

He swore that Vince was having fun torturing him. He was starting to see him as the devil.

Turning the engine on, John carefully backed out of his drive. He didn't want to scratch his baby now. After all it would be a damn shame to have accidently wrote it off by backing into a tree. But no matter how much he hated this vehicle, it was his only means of transportation.

The drive only took ten minutes to get to the small town of Temani. He wasn't quite sure why there were two roads coming off the one high leading into town. The train tracks were in between but he was quite sure this town didn't have a lot of traffic to need several roads into it.

John had only been here for almost a month and he has only been to town maybe twice. He was relieved when he first got here that it wasn't a big enough town to get lost in. There was only one main stretch which had your pharmacy a couple of restaurants, two banks and a bar. Oh and let's not forget the tiny gym. Then when you turned down another street you had the rest of your small businesses. The grocery store, a post office and a bargain store where the owner, a creepy looking fellow stood at the entrance watching people walk on by. He made a mental note not to go near there unless necessary.

After a small cruise through the town, John stopped at the grocery store and stocked up on everything he could think of.

"That will be one hundred thirty dollars and forty six cents," the lady at the cash register said,

John grabbed two, hundred dollar bills and passed it to her. She took both bills and put them to the light and then cashed them in. Handing him his changed she said, "Sorry, by company standards any large bills have to be checked to make sure they aren't counterfeit."

"Oh, ok." He replied, wondering why she had told him that.

"Yeah," she said, "I didn't want to offend you. I'm sure your money is real."

"No problem," he said, "It's good to know you're following company rules." With a smile he grabbed the cart and headed to his jeep and started to unpack his groceries. He wondered at the same time why she would think he was offended. Then it clicked. She must have known who he was and was just nervous.

Then he started to realize that no one had approached him here, asking for autographs. There were no screaming fans or people who were trying to sabotage him. He suddenly got goose bumps. This was just too weird for him. He was so used of people talking to him but here, no one seemed to give a damn about who you were.

For a minute he felt a bit lonely.

The bar wasn't gloomy as most bars usually were. It was painted in a dark brown and the tables and counters were a black marble but during the day it was quite bright. It felt friendly. But he didn't want to get himself all cozy up in here because once he was gone he wasn't planning on returning.

At first he thought maybe he should just buy a case of 24 and go home but then decided that he can't live in his little cave until his six months are up. So with that problem solved he sat down at a long high table beside a 52 inch flat HD TV.

Now this was a TV!

"Would you like something to drink sir?"

"Uh, I'll take a Budweiser, I suppose," he replied.

"Coming right up,"

When he paid for his drink, he began to watch TV. He wasn't sure how long he was entranced by the definition when he suddenly heard the familiar sound of a break in pool. He looked over to see a young couple playing a game. When did they walk in? He was sure he was the only one in here except an old man playing the VLTs. He lingered on the couple then focused back onto the TV. But then when the young blonde girl went to the bar and asked for drinks he lost focus on the game. He took a sip of his beer.

A thought popped into his head. _Go talk to them._

No. What was the point?

_Make some friends while you're here._

Again – no point.

He tried watching the rest of the game but the young couple was distracting him. They were laughing and the girl was trying to cheat her way in the game of pool. He could see that her boy was very good in the game and she was just having some fun and trying to beat him.

He let out a small chuckle to himself.

"Hey that wasn't in!" The boy laughed, "You are such a cheater!"

The girl just chuckled as the boy tried jabbing her with the end of his pool cue.

Staring was bad manners. John forgot. He felt his face go red when the blonde looked over at him. He could see it in her face. She knew who he was. Or, she was trying to think of how or why the hell would he be in a shithole like this? Maybe the thought of, 'He looks familiar' was running through her head.

He looked away, downed the rest of his beer then went to the vendor. The same lady that served him followed him and asked, "Budweiser?"

"Yes a two four please."

The girl returned with a case. He paid and glanced over at the couple. They both were staring at him. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly a bit uncomfortable. He smiled at the bartender then took off through the side door.

Maybe it was best for him to stay in his cave.


	2. Chapter 2

John stared at the ceiling, wondering when his sleepless nights were going to end. He usually didn't sleep long when he was on the road but now he found that sleeping was a way for time to pass by quicker.

It was just annoying that he could only sleep for a couple of hours then had to endure another, long boring day watching sports on a small TV or just sitting on an old plastic chair on a small deck, gazing out at his hideous overgrown yard. He groaned and threw the covers to the side and got to his feet. It was a hot night and everything was so humid he felt a shower wouldn't even make him feel better.

John sighed very loudly, "You'd think living in this house for almost a month I'd finally remember where the light switches were," he paused, "Oh great! Now I'm talking to myself!"

Finally finding the light switch, John with a bad habit glanced at the old brass clock. He had to stop driving himself mad. Being bored and not doing anything wasn't going to make his days go by any faster. He had to do something. But he didn't want to. He didn't want to have anything to do with this place. He wanted to be home, with his wife, or on the road wrestling and meeting new fans.

But reality was starting to sink in. He was stuck here with nothing. Well he was stuck here with a small TV, an old leather chair, a fridge stocked up with beer, an old house which wasn't much of a house, an overgrown yard (which he was pretty sure had a couple of jungle animals lurking in it), a crappy old Jeep and let's not forget the front door that's ready to fall off its own hinges. (Sometimes John felt like he could relate to that door. He was almost ready to fall off his hinges soon.)

It was only three o'clock in the morning. What was he going to do?

Well he couldn't phone Liz, he had no phone. He couldn't drive to the airport because with no phone he couldn't book a flight and he didn't have a lot of money on him. And he was positive that there was a GPS tracking dot on him somewhere or maybe on the Jeep.

He let out another groan and went to the fridge to crack open another bottle of beer. He decided maybe he should go outside, get some fresh air. Maybe that'd help him go back to sleep.

John realized for the first time that his yard didn't have a light. He couldn't believe it. Oh wait, he could. It was Vince who had found this place. He probably didn't take a look at it before he had bought it.

So now he can add on the "no yard light" to his list of nothing.

John was astonished that even though he didn't have a yard light, the full moon had lit up his deck and entire yard. He actually never knew the moon could produce so much light. Looking up John was blown away.

The stars shone so bright they looked like tiny white diamonds. Goose bumps invaded his skin so quickly he felt like he was high. He didn't know they had such raw power. They were unbelievably beautiful. The words were taken right out of his mouth as he gazed at the Milky Way. He's lived in a small town for most of his life and never got to see their full potential. Even when he drove to town or the big cities, he didn't even give them a second glance.

A strange feeling overwhelmed him. Something stirred in him. He felt a sense of change in the air. He was suddenly aware of a warm wind blowing.

John smiled.

He felt different.

There was no alarm clock, nor a phone call to wake him up; just the sun's light directly on his face disturbed his slumber. John rolled onto his other side and yawned. He was so tired and drained of energy.

But he knew he should get up.

Tossing the covers to his side once again John sat up and was about to get up when he realized he barely remembered crawling back into bed. He rubbed his eyes and tried to think what had happened last night.

He was so confused.

He remembered going outside and watching the stars. But how much did he have to drink? How long did he stay out there for?

Still thinking of what had happened John went to the bathroom. When he was done his morning routine he went into the kitchen and was startled to see that it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon.

"What is going on?" he asked himself aloud.

Then there was a knock on the door.

He was even more confused. Who the hell would be knocking on his door?

Without thinking of what he was wearing John answered the door only his shorts. A couple of old ladies were standing huddled together holding pamphlets and papers. When they saw John shirtless one of the ladies' jaw dropped and one of them had a scowl on her face. The other two went beat red and tried to take their eyes off his massive chest.

The lady with the scowl cleared her throat, "Excuse me sir," she said,

"Hello," he said, trying not to laugh, "How may I help you ladies?"

"We are from the Jehovah Witnesses, and we are here today to ask you if you believe in God?"

"Uh…"

"But I believe we may have no further discussion until you put your shirt back on and present yourself like a gentleman." The wrinkles in her face penetrated deep.

"Well I'm sorry but I haven't been able to find my shirt," he lied. He was finding this a bit amusing. Who are these ladies?

"Well then," she said, "I guess I have no choice but to leave you be to, whatever you are doing. You disgust me sir. Who in their right mind would answer the door to four seniors wearing no shirt? You're bound to give someone a heart attack!" With that said and done, the old lady turned on her heel and barged through her small group and walked down the stairs. The two ladies whose face went red gave John each a weak smile and walked off whispering to themselves. The lady whose jaw dropped smiled.

"Your wife must be a very lucky lady," she winked and then followed after the trio. John watched them leave and cracked up. Never in his life has he ever experienced something quite like this. He couldn't wait to tell Liz or his fellow friend Randy Orton. Then the thought of Randy Orton being the one to answer the door shirtless was sure to have made that one lady drop dead in fear of seeing the Devil.

Closing the door behind him John went to the fridge and made him something to eat. He was thinking that maybe he should check out the gym. Even though it was small but he was sure he could make due. Then the young couple popped into his head. He wondered if either of them went to the gym.

Then he started to think that maybe he'd pop by the bar again to see if they were there. Something about them made them seem appealing. He almost found them attractive in a vibe sense of way. It did scare him at first but he believed it could be because he may have found something he couldn't just leave behind when he left.

But first, John needed a shower.

The gym was a lot bigger then he thought. Though they didn't have everything he was used to working with, the owner who was a body builder back in the day had actually helped him go through some work outs that can help work the muscles he was so used to working with other machines. He thought he'd take it while he could.

He was quite relieved yet a bit disappointed that the gym was quite empty. Then he remembered it was a Monday so everyone was probably at work or too tired after a long day. He knew that was no excuse but then again he had to remember that he had the money and always tried to find the time. Some people may have had something come up that had to make them miss out on a day or maybe a child fell sick.

He had to adapt, adjust and overcome.

That startled him.

How could he have forgotten his own motive?

There was no one at the bar when John entered, except the same old man at the VLTs. He noticed the same bar tender was working and he casually walked up to her and asked for a Budweiser. He quietly went back to where he first sat down and watched some sport reels of previous night games.

"So what brings you all the way to this small town?" the bar tender asked,

"Sorry?" John looked over at her. He didn't hear everything she asked.

The lady waddled over to John. She was bigger set and must have been in her late forties with dark brown hair. "Why are you here in this small town?"

He gave her a questioning look.

"I know who you are Mr. Cena," she grinned, "I've seen Raw before."

"Honestly I am not a hundred percent sure on that one," he replied, "Mr. McMahon's idea. He must be trying to build hype to a storyline where I come back."

"But why here in a shit town like this?"

He gave her another questioning look.

"Don't tell me that has never gone through your head at least once."

"Does everyone think this is a shit hole?"

She laughed, "Pretty much darling," she said, "Unless you love drama, gossip and deceit then this isn't the right place for anyone, especially you."

A small buzz went off and the bar tender walked over to the vendor. John could hear a customer asking for some beer. The cash register opened and closed then there was another buzz. The lady came back to John.

"Hey," he said before she could say anything else, "Who was that young couple that was here yesterday? They were playing pool."

"Dakota and Jessie?" she asked,

"Sure. When do they come to play pool?"

"They come in on Sunday, Tuesday and I believe most Fridays. Why?" her eyebrow arched.

"I wanted to meet them," he said a bit embarrassed. What was with this lady that made him a little uncomfortable?

She just stared at him for a minute. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad thing. Then she cracked a smile and her eyes squinted in joy.

"That's be great!" she said, "Jessie is a huge fan of yours."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Once again John just lay on his bed starring up at the ceiling. He was feeling a bit lonely - not just mentally but physically. He wasn't sure if he should please himself or not. At this point he really wished his wife was with him.

In the distance he could hear a low rumble of thunder. He opened his small little window to let the breeze flow into his house. It started off as another humid night but when the clouds rolled in, the humidity was pushed away. The cool breeze felt wonderful against the skin.

Should he go back outside? Should he go look at the stars? Should he please himself? Should he just lay here pretending to be made out of stone?

Letting out a loud sigh he thought he really couldn't wait until tomorrow evening. He needed company. He needed to talk to someone and just do something. Jessie and Dakota seemed to be those people he needed to talk to.

John turned onto his right side. The cool breeze hit his face and it relaxed him. He could see the moon just starting to be covered by dark clouds. He could see the lightning ignite like sparks in various spaces in the clouds. The thunder grew louder and louder as the clouds came closer and closer.

Did Manitoba have bad storms like Oklahoma? He did hear that they had one of the biggest tornados in America not too long ago. Should he be worried?

A huge rumble of thunder shook the house. John Cena isn't scared of much, but being in an old rickety house, he doubted that he was going to live to see tomorrow. One massive roll of thunder probably would send the house toppling over on top of him in his sleep.

Throwing the covers off his feet John got up and closed his window. He peaked out and the moon was engulfed by the shadowy mass of clouds and the lightning flickered simultaneously. Then the sound of beads falling on his roof indicated that it was starting to rain. Well his yard definitely didn't need this rain. If it grew any higher he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to get to his jeep.

With another sigh John closed his eyes and envisioned his wife beside him, holding him in her arms. He couldn't release the tension in his groin by laying there. He felt guilty but he had to do it.

So he did it.

When John woke up he felt a bit better; mentally and physically. He went to toss the covers off his bed but they were already on the floor. He got up, picked them up and tossed them back on the bed and went to the bathroom. After he was done he went into the kitchen and the friendly brass clock read eleven o'clock.

Outside was still pretty dark from the fast moving clouds. The falling rain and rumbling of thunder could still be heard throughout the house. How long was this rain supposed to last?

Maybe instead of sports he should start watching the weather channel so he knew what he was going up against for the next couple of months. He heard that their snow storms could be pretty brutal.

After eating a bowl of fruity pebbles, he went and sat down on his leather chair and started to watch sports. He tried to refrain himself from watching RAW but knew he should be keeping up with the storylines so when he got back, he would know what was going on.

He glanced at the brass clock again. Only twenty minutes have gone by. Jessie and Dakota wouldn't be at the bar until seven – seven thirty. What was he going to do until then? Then he realized one of the only things he could do was watch RAW.

The rain finally let up as seven o'clock got closer. Brilliant rays of sunshine engulfed everything and everywhere. The grass glimmered with little white water beads clinging onto it. Puddles had formed in the driveway and when John closed the door and walked out onto the deck he could smell wet flowers and trees. Everything felt refreshed and energized.

When he got to the bar the lady who had served him the past two days, was not there. Instead there was a younger girl who was good looking, but had way too much makeup plastered on her face. She gave him a Budweiser without asking and smiled, "Jasmine informed me you'd be here. It's nice to meet you John. I'm Rosa and if there is anything you need just let me know."

"Thanks," he pulled out a ten dollar bill but Rosa just pushed it away.

"It's on me,"

John smiled and then went to go sit down at the same table but decided that maybe he should go sit at the other tables where the pool tables were.

"How much is it for a game?" He asked Rosa.

"Oh it's free pool tonight," she said, coming around the counter. She pulled out a pair of keys and unlocked the face plates off the pool tables and pushed them under the tables. "Free pool on Sunday and Tuesdays."

"Nice," he smiled again. _So that's why Jessie and Dakota came here on Sunday and Tuesdays. It didn't cost anything._

He grabbed the balls from the side slot and put them on the table. He looked around to see where the triangle was and then racked them. He was positive he knew how. How good of a player he is was going to be a different story. It's been a while since him and the boys went out to small pubs for a round. After his career got swept up with the massive tide he had less time to go out.

The cues were on a rack on the side of the wall, close to the door that led to the deck. He looked at all of them and decided on the silver graphite one. He chalked it up, grabbed the cue ball and set it up for a hit. Except when he hit the cue ball it flung off the table. He quickly looked at Rosa who was laughing.

"Happens all the time," she said,

John knew it was because he was too strong.

He had to get used of not using his full strength.

When he went to retrieve it he heard the door to the front opening and his stomach tightened. Pretending not to be aware of anyone he went back to the table and put the cue ball back on. He looked up and saw that two different couple had come in.

"Hey girly!" the girl said to Rosa, "Haven't seen you for a while! What's shaking?"

"Not much," Rosa said, "Same old, same old."

"Just the like the rest of us," the boy said.

John set up again and this time gave a less powerful shot. He broke the pack and the balls scattered everywhere. He looked over to see that the couple didn't notice him and had just bought their drinks.

He looked back at the table and decided what his next shot should be. He glanced down at the slot and noticed he already had sunk a solid ball. So solid it was.

When he found the best shot he could try for, he didn't hear the door open. He took the shot and missed. He sighed and knew it was just his nerves. He looked at the table and had got caught up in the game, forgetting why he was there. He didn't notice Jessie and Dakota walking by him. He didn't even realize that they had sat down at one of the tables beside the pool table. The other couple had joined them.

"Hey Cena," Dakota called out, "Want to play a round after?"

John looked up and stopped. When did they get here?

"Uh, sure," he looked at Jessie and she smiled at him.

"_Jessie is a big fan of yours,"_ Jasmine's words ringed in his head.

He nodded his head and smiled back. Looking back at the game he realized that it could take him a while to finish so he just said, "We can play now,"

"Sounds good," Dakota replied jumping off his high chair. He walked up to John extended a hand out and said, "I'm Dakota Riles,"

John in return shook his hand, "I'd introduce myself but apparently you already know who I am," He grinned.

"This is Hunter," Dakota pointed to the other boy, "His girlfriend, Trisha and my girlfriend Jessie."

"Nice to meet you," he smiled.

John immediately racked the balls, "You can break," he said to Dakota, "I seem to be too powerful for it. Last shot jumped off the table,"

"Ah you're a Jessie,"

"Huh?"

"Jessie always seems to shoot the cue ball off the table on the break. Not sure how she does it," Dakota looks over at Jessie, "Maybe she's just too powerful and I don't know it."

For the first game John had lost. He was pretty proud that he only had only one of his pool balls left on the table when Dakota had sunk the eight ball. They shook hands and Hunter took John's place.

"You'll play the winner Cena," Dakota said, "You're not bad of a pool player. You play much?"

John shook his head, "No not really. I haven't played for a couple of years or so."

"You'll catch on again,"

John sat over on the table behind the two girls. There was another big screen TV on this wall and over to what appeared to be the DJ's table in the corner near the front entrance. American Idol was playing on all four screens. Rosa came around and everyone bought some drinks. When she brought them back Jessie insisted she paid for John's beer.

"So how come you are here?" Jessie turned around in her seat to see John,

"Vince wanted me to go somewhere for a while and make a big return," he said. He wasn't comfortable yet telling her exactly why he was here. To be honest, he wasn't even sure why he was.

"Do you like it here?"

He took a sip of his beer, shrugged and laughed, "Sort of. Not really. I mean I don't know anyone here. It's strange."

"I bet it is."

"Ah it's ok!" Trisha spoke up, "You'll fit in. Or wait maybe you won't. You're huge." The girls burst out laughing. "Maybe we can hire him as a security guard,"

When Hunter and Dakota finished their game Trisha asked, "Hunter, smoke?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

The two grabbed their smokes and went outside. "You smoke Cena?" Hunter asked.

He shook his head.

"K just asking," then he was out onto the deck.

"So how long have you been out here for?" Dakota asked,

"Almost a month," he replied,

"How much longer you got here?" Jessie kicked Dakota,

"Be nice,"

"I am!" he said to her, "I was just curious because I'm sure he's not going to be here for the rest of his life. He's a wrestler!"

"It's ok," he assured Jessie, "So far maybe three months," he lied, "Maybe six? Depends on when they want me back."

Dakota nodded, understanding.

"It's kind of weird though you're _here_." Jessie said, "I mean I could understand you being in Boston or Calgary, but… a small town like Temani?"

He wondered about that too. "I guess he just picked a town that people don't make a big fuss around superstars."

"Yeah I can see Vince's point," Dakota interrupted, "People here don't make a fuss who you are. I guess respectful to one's privacy. We had a movie filmed here and there was an actress in it that was pretty well known, but not a lot got stirred up. Everyone just let her be. Heard she was quite pleased with this town, letting her just be her you know?"

Was that why Vince wanted him here; to let him be him? Maybe Vince had read about the review from this actress and thought it'd be perfect for him. But he has never been, not himself. A small bug of annoyance was creeping in. He didn't like it. He pushed it away and thought he'd dwell on it later.

Hunter and Trisha walked back in. The smell of smoke followed them and Trisha went and grabbed them another drink. Jessie got up and grabbed some change from her purse and decided to go play the VLTs.

Dakota lost by scratch so it was Hunter and John playing. He kept looking over at Dakota and then took quick glances to see if he could see Jessie. He wasn't too keen on Trisha and Hunter. He wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't prepared to meet other people other than Jessie and Dakota. But he was trying to keep conversations going all night and trying to just relax and have fun. He didn't notice how much he had to drink. He was getting a bit of a buzz and he was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable.

At the end of the night Jessie had won only fifty dollars on the slots and Trisha and Hunter had just left when Jessie came up to him, "Do you need a ride to wherever you are staying?"

For a minute he wasn't sure if it was going to be a good idea. How was he going to get his jeep in the morning and he felt a bit embarrassed on where or what he was living in. But he did have way too much to drink and he needed to stay alive if he ever wanted to get back to his wife or to work.

"Um, sure, I guess."

Dakota grabbed his keys and gave them to Jessie. The trio walked out and Jessie unlocked the Jeep and started it, waiting for the boys to lead the way. John was lead to a big black, single cab dodge which had been lifted. He felt a sense of joy suddenly. FINALLY a nice vehicle he can sit in.

"Just go down 716 and turn right four miles then turn left and go two more miles."

The ride was pretty silent on the way home. John wasn't sure if he liked it. He would remind Dakota of where to turn and when they finally got back to his place Dakota followed him up the deck.

"Just making sure you get in," he said, "So we don't end up leaving you in the dark,"

"No that's fine," he said. They got to the door and opened it. John flicked on the mud room light.

"Hey," Dakota said, "we don't live too far from here. Or should I say Jessie doesn't live too far from here. Here's our cell numbers if you are interested in hanging out. Don't feel obligated though."

John took the paper from Dakota's hand and could see it was in girl handwriting. Jessie must have quickly written it out before they left.

"Yeah, sure that sounds like fun," he said,

"Well nice to meet you John and have a good night," With that Dakota walked down the stairs. Jessie ran past him and quickly handed John the keys.

"Before I take off with your keys," she chuckled, "I locked it. Wasn't sure if you did or not."

"Thanks," he said. This time he got a good look at Jessie and realized she was pretty good looking. He shouldn't judge yet because he had quite a few to drink but something stirred in his groin and he shifted so nothing would show.

"Have a good night," she ran off the deck, waved and jumped into the truck. They backed out and peeled down the road.

John shut the door and locked it. Flinging his shoes off, he turned the light off then walked through the kitchen and down the hall. Flicking the light on to his bedroom, he took his shirt off. He took off his jean shorts too then put on his other shorts and dropped onto his bed. He felt himself still stirring and wasn't sure if it was the drinks he had that was making him feel like this or maybe just being alone too long was getting to him.

He groaned.

This was severe torture.

He was a man and he had needs!

He groaned again, realizing he forgot to turn the light off. As he got up and shut the light off, he felt that he couldn't keep it together tonight.

John felt guilty.

But he had to do it.

So he did.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The next day John went to the gym when he had woken up. After the gym he did another grocery run and came back home to find the little piece of paper which had Dakota and Jessie's number written down. He was tempted to call them but wasn't sure if it would be a smart move. Maybe he'd leave it for a day? Maybe two?

He didn't want to seem desperate.

Grabbing a drink of water he looked out of his kitchen window, at the yard. It looked so terrible. The grass looked like a miniature Amazon jungle. There were two sheds in the backyard, maybe they had a lawnmower stored away.

It was a very nice day out. Cold compared to what he was used to but that was because when you get used to Florida weather, it's hard to break out of it.

Putting on his shoes he went back outside. Behind his house were two grey sheds. To his surprise when he opened the first shed there was a brand new push lawnmower and a gas can full of fuel, beside it. A small note was taped onto the handle.

_Living like a nobody has responsibilities. Take care of this place and you'll be taking care of yourself._

_Vince McMahon_

He was shocked. So Vince does know what he's doing. He also knew about how the house was. Then John thought, is this how Vince and his wife Liz saw him as – a broken down house that needed some work?

That, kind of hurt.

He didn't understand how he was broken. He didn't know why he was being pushed away from both the worlds he loved so much. Could there be something he's not seeing? Not confronting?

He sighed and decided to see what was in the next shed. And to his astonishment, there was a red Polaris Sportsman 500 H.O. quad. His jaw dropped. He never really had the chance to actually get to go quading. He always wanted one but living in Tampa, and not having time to go to the country, he never saw the point of having one. Another fuel tank was sitting beside it and another note was folded neatly on the seat.

_Even nobodies have fun._

There was no signature but he knew it was from Vince. He looked at the quad and lawnmower. He wanted to take his new baby out for a ride but knew that he had to mow the lawn first.

But should he be mowing the lawn right after there was a storm? It's not good for a mower to cut wet grass; otherwise it'd dull the blade faster.

John looked at the lawnmower, then the quad and then back to the lawnmower. Why was it so hard to decide?

If he mowed the lawn, taking a risk of damaging the blade, he was taking care of himself metaphorically. But if he didn't do the lawn today he was taking care of the lawnmower, postponing on the cutting the grass to have fun and not working on himself.

Was this why Vince had bought him these toys? He felt like he was at crossroads deciding his fate. But it was just for the day.

Maybe he should go check what time it was and how the weather was going to be tomorrow. If it was going to be hot and dry he'd let the grass dry and cut it tomorrow and go take his quad out. But there was a small pang of guilt. If he took care of everything he may be able to go home early.

He wondered if Vince was sending someone over to check up on him.

It was hard to say. How else would he know if he was making any progress?

He took his hat off and scratched his head. Quad, or mow lawn. He wanted to do this right. Should he do work or have some fun? He was a 'nobody' right now and he had responsibilities but he also could have some fun.

"Fuck it," he said aloud,

He took the quad.

There hadn't been a lot of places he could take the quad. He wasn't sure yet how big the property he was living on was. So he took it through some ditches around his place and hoped no one was going to call him on it.

Nobody did, which he was glad.

When he came home he parked the quad back inside and closed the doors. He glanced to see the lawn mower was still where he had left it. Maybe he should take a quick sweep through the yard to make it look manageable until tomorrow.

He stopped, how could he do a half ass job? That's not how he rolled. He had to give it his all. Maybe he should just do everything now and then have time tomorrow to see what Jessie and Dakota were up to. But what if they are busy tomorrow? Then what is he going to do?

Letting out a sigh he closed the doors to the shed and walked back into the house. Then he realized how was he going to call Jessie and Dakota, when he didn't even have a phone?

He cursed himself. How did he not remember that?

So how was he going to find them?

"Maybe he already left,"

"No I don't think he did,"

Dakota sighed. He wasn't sure what everyone saw in John Cena. Jessie was a bit worried that he hadn't called them yet. It only had been a day. The guy must be busy.

"Something must have happened," she said to Dakota, "I highly doubt they'd send him to this small town because they wanted to hype up the show."

"You never know,"

Jessie gave him the look of, _Oh I know_.

"Why don't you just go over there if you're so worried about him?" he felt himself get a little tense when those words left his mouth. He didn't like the thought of her going over there alone. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to be hanging out with him.

"I'm not going to go intrude on his privacy," she said,

"Then don't worry about it!" he replied, relaxing from the tension.

They were sitting at the supper table at her parents. They had left to go stay with her grandma for a couple of months due to cancer. Jessie couldn't afford to leave until winter. Even then she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave Dakota behind, but she knew she'd have to go for a couple of weeks.

Jessie didn't know what else to say. The moment she saw John sitting at that table across from the bar by himself, she knew it wasn't right. He didn't belong here and it boggled her mind. Funny, she's a big fan of him and here she is complaining that he's here in her hometown. But something just didn't feel right. She felt a sense of change in the air when she saw him and that kind of scared her. She always wanted to meet him but it was on terms of a simple meeting, an autograph then back to her life as she had left it. Now her life had changed. She just had spent five hours with The Champ at the bar and she didn't know why, but she had given him their cell phone numbers.

She felt like an idiot. Why would he ever call them? What was so special about them?

Maybe she was hoping that he'd like her?

That was stupid. He had a wife and she was a nobody. He was a wrestler and she was a farm girl who had a morning job and did yard work for the rest of the day. Why would he want to change his wife for someone like her?

One thing for sure was she didn't have the greatest self esteem. She may have hair that everyone wanted. She always got compliments whether it had pink streaks or of now when it's blonde with copper streaks. She was only five foot seven and to her, she was just average looking. She wasn't skinny or overweight, and it seemed her bust was the only thing that really got a lot of attention.

"Look Jessie," Dakota said, "Maybe tomorrow night we'll drive by and just see if he's still there and if he is maybe we'll stop by and ask if he wants to go for supper. If not then we know he's not interested.

Jessie smiled. She liked that. "Sure that sounds good," but then she started to worry, what if he wasn't interested in them?

After supper Jessie cleaned the kitchen up as Dakota took her dad's quad out for a spin. He said he was going to go check on the horses but she knew he just wanted to go relax out in the back with his IPod. It was his way of de-stressing.

When the plates were washed and the rest of the leftovers were put into the fridge, Jessie went outside with a drink and sat on her parent's deck and just watched the sun. It was a beautiful evening out. But of course her thoughts turned to John and she was wondering what he was doing right now?

She had to admit that wrestling was getting a bit bland without him. She felt bad for all those kids who had bought tickets earlier and then find out sixty dollars later that he wasn't even going to be there. But they had hope.

She wishes she could have that same hope but she knew nothing could ever happen.

Besides she loved Dakota.

Didn't she?

That scared her deep inside. Was she going to be that girl? The one who left her boyfriend for someone hotter? Someone who was famous and had more money?

She hoped not. She didn't know John Cena as well as she knew Dakota. John Cena wouldn't be able to understand her at all – her moods and the way she thought and acted. She wasn't fake but then again, she wasn't considered normal either. She had emotional issues and she is surprised that Dakota had stayed with her just as long as he has. No one seemed to have that will, that passion that Dakota does.

And to her Dakota was the best looking boy around here. Dakota was two inches taller than her with blue grey eyes and short brown hair that hid under a black hat most of the time.

So then why was she thinking of John?


End file.
